The present invention relates to a whole soybean curd production system having a heating device and a cooling device, and a method for producing a whole soybean curd, and in particular to a whole soybean production system having a heating device formed of a steam boiler configured in an openable and closable type for the sake of an inner cleaning and a cooling device formed of a Peltier element and a method for producing a whole soybean curd.
In general, a conventional soybean curd is manufactured in such a way that soybeans are immersed in water to swell, and the swollen soybeans are crushed, thus manufacturing a soymilk (soybean juice), and an unpressed soybean curd is manufactured by inputting a coagulant into the soymilk, and a soybean curd is consequently manufactured by pressing the unpressed soybean curd. The thusly manufactured soybean curd is disadvantageous in the way that water wherein an organic acid, sugar and water soluble proteins are melted during a water immersion of the soybean are wasted, and a bean curd dreg is produced as by-product.
The bean curd dreg contains a lot of nutrition, for example, sugar, dietary fiber, protein, oligosaccharides, isoflavone, etc. If such nutrition is not appropriately used, there will be a lot of loss in terms of economical and nutrition nutritional aspects.
Meanwhile, a lot of water is necessary to manufacture a soybean curd using soybean. To this end, there may be a problem in treating the water used.
In order to resolve the above mentioned problem, a finely crushed flour of soybean is melted to manufacture a soymilk, and the soymilk is heated and boiled and is coagulated by adding a coagulant, thus manufacturing a whole soybean curd. In this case, there may be some advantages in the way that when the whole soybean curd is manufactured, a swelling time of soybean can be decreased, and materials can be saved, and the production of a lot of waste water which may be produced during a part of the process can be prevented.
The above mentioned method for manufacturing a whole soybean curd is provided to manufacture a soybean curd gel in a packed container in such a way to manufacture a soymilk using a fine soybean flour and perform a heat treatment and add a coagulant. As compared to the conventional method for manufacturing a soybean curd, a processing procedure is simpler, and the method is more economical. It is possible to manufacture various kinds of whole soybean curds to which various sub-ingredients are added.
The apparatus for manufacturing such a whole soybean curd is described in the Korean patent registration number 10-0859703 (apparatus for manufacturing whole soybean curd). The apparatus for manufacturing a whole soybean curd disclosed in the Korean patent registration number 10-0859703 includes a box-shaped body 10 which equips with a water softening unit and a cooling unit and is configured to indirectly cool a cooling water and circulates it; a plurality of agitators which are disposed exposed to the top of the body and are connected to the water softening unit through a connection pipe and perform a continuous process; a heating unit which is driven by an electricity in the inside of the body and is connected to the agitators and equips with a zigzag flow path on one surface or both surfaces; a coagulator which is formed of a dual structure container which is installed exposed to the top of the body and is connected to the heating unit and serves to circulate a cooling water into the space of a wall body, and an agitation motor installed on top of the double structure container; and a controller which is provided to perform a process in the set mode in such a way to intermittingly drive the pump connected between the agitators, the heating unit and the coagulator.
Similar devices have been developed and described in the Korean patent publication number 10-2011-0117942 and the Korean patent registration number 10-858026.
In addition, the conventional apparatus for manufacturing a whole soybean curd of the Korean patent registration number 10-0787490 (title: method and apparatus for manufacturing a whole soybean curd) includes an agitating tank, a steam pressure pot, a deaerator tank, a low temperature storing tank, a filling and packing unit, a first heat boiling tank, a second heat boiling tank, a first cooling tank, a second cooling tank, a freezer, a boiler, etc.
The conventional agitation tank disclosed in the Korean patent registration number 10-0787490 is directed to a water tank wherein soybean which is a principle ingredient of a soybean curd and water are mixed and agitated and operates at a low speed or a high speed. The soymilk mixed in the agitation tank flows into the steam pressure pot and is boiled in the steam pressure pot at 100˜110° C. and is sterilized.
Any impurities contained in the soymilk sterilized in the steam pressure pot are filtered while it passes through a filtering mesh, and a soybean smell can be removed by a fan while it passes through the deaerator tank. The soy milk which has passed through the deaerator tank is cooled in the low temperature storing tank. At this time, the soymilk is cooled to below 10° C. while it is continuously agitated at a low speed. The soymilk mixed with a coagulant is moved to the filling and packing device and is filled and packed into a container for 3 or 5 times.
When the filling and packing procedure is finished, the soymilk is moved to a heat boiling tank for heating. The heat boiling tank is formed of a first heat boiling tank and a second heat boiling tank. A first heat boiling process is performed at around 50˜60° C. for 30˜40 minutes in the first heat boiling tank, and a second heat boiling process is performed at around 85° C. for 30˜40 minutes in the second heat boiling tank. In the first heat boiling tank, a heat boiling process is performed at an appropriate temperature for an enzyme reaction. In the second heat boiling tank, a heat boiling process is performed for a reaction wherein calcium chloride or magnesium chloride coagulates soymilk.
The above soybean curd is moved to the cooling tank and is cooled to a low temperature. The cooling tank is formed of a first cooling tank and a second cooling tank so as to keep the texture of food best after the reaction of the coagulated whole soybean curd is finished, thus cooling the soybean curd through two stages. After a whole soybean curd is finished, it is stored at a low temperature.
The agitation tank includes a plurality of agitating wings which are driven at a low speed or a high speed by the motor, and the agitation tank is connected to a mineral water pipe and a piped water pipe which are provided to supply mineral water and piped water. A supply pipe is connected to a lower portion of the agitation tank so as to supply soymilk into the inside of the steam pressure pot. An automatic valve opened and closed by a control device is installed at the supply pipe.
A steam rod connected to the boiler to discharge steam downward is installed at the steam pressure pot. The supply pipe configured to supply soymilk into the inside of the deaerator tank is connected to a lower portion of the steam pressure pot. The steam pressure pot allows to heat the inputted soymilk to 100˜110° C. with steam and boils and sterilizes the soymilk. Impurities are removed using the filtering mesh from the sterilized soymilk, and the soymilk is moved to the deaerator tank, and the filtered and deaerated soymilk is supplied to the low temperature storing tank.
When the filtered and deaerated soymilk is inputted into the low temperature storing tank, the agitation wings rotate to agitate the heated soymilk while cooling the heated soymilk to the temperature of 6-10° C. and keeping it at the above temperature. After the cooling process is finished, the soymilk which has been cooled and stored at a low temperature is discharged and moves to the packing device. The soymilk is filled into the container for 3-5 times and is packed in the packing device.
However, in the conventional apparatus for manufacturing a soybean curd, the agitator of the agitation tank is provided on top of the agitation tank, whereupon efficient agitation of the soymilk (soybean flour mixture) is hard, and since the boiler is disposed in a closed type, the washing and cleaning in the inside thereof are hard. For this reason, any impurities contained in the boiler may be directly inputted into the soymilk, thus causing a sanitary problem.
In the conventional apparatus for manufacturing a whole soybean curd, the cooling device operates in a water cooling type which uses cooling water or an air cooling type, whereupon the cooling device may be inevitably made larger, and it is hard to accurately control a cooling temperature.